Apoptotic and Immunosuppressive Effects of Turmeric Paste on 7, 12 Di Methyl Benz (a) Anthracene Induced Skin Tumor Model of Wistar Rat

ABSTRACT

Dietary components with potent anticancerous property are gaining attention as therapeutic agents due to low cost of therapy and minimal toxic effects. Turmeric is one such miracle spices of Indian and South Asian recipes with multiple medicinal properties. The anticarcinogenic properties of its active compound curcumin have been studied in detail. However, studies on the medicinal properties of crude turmeric used as dietary agents are lacking. Therefore, in this study we investigated the effects of dietary and topical crude turmeric paste on DMBA induced skin tumor of male Wistar rats. We observed the apoptotic effect of crude turmeric paste on DMBA induced tumor with depletion of T cells response. Our results demonstrated the significant expression of major pro-apoptotic genes like caspase-2, 3, 8, 9, PARP, and p53 and down regulation of major pro-inflammatory (NF-κB) and pro-angiogenic factors and (VEGF) in turmeric treated tumor tissues. We also observed significant decrease in CD4⁺, CD8⁺, and Natural Killer cell population as compared to the untreated group.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article.

Acknowledgments

We are thankful to the director, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, for providing necessary facilities. This work was carried out by funds provided by the institution and no additional external funding was received for this work. We also thank Dr. Ashok Kumar Tiwari, Principal Scientist, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, for providing lab facilities for conducting this work.

Ethical approval

All applicable national and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.